ZAP Zinfandel Festival 2012

If you think that all wine events are for wine snobs, think again.  The Zinfandel Festival is a down-home, fun event that any wine drinker should love.  On Saturday, January 29th, 2012, we attended the ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) Grand Tasting event during the 21st Annual Zinfandel Festival at The Concourse in San Francisco.  This was the last of four events, prior ones being the Epicuria food and zin pairing on the 26th, the Flights Tasting on the 27th and the Winemakers Dinner the evening of the 27th.

 

 

Unlike Cabs and Pinot Noirs, Zinfandels have always been associated with unpretentious, reasonably priced wines that are enjoyed by a wide range of people. Zinfandels can be highly variable in their personality, making them something of a chameleon grape.  They can be light, soft and fruity or big, spicy and tannic, with late harvest desert wines also fairly common.  Zins are now often blended with other varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Sangiovese, Grenache, Dolcetto, Charbono, Barbera, etc.  The Zinfandel grape itself can be highly diverse in its characteristics so when blended with other varietals there is an even greater range of possibilities. I can think of no other wine that is so varied in its presentation.  The one thing all Zinfandels have in common, though, is that they are usually drinkable now and very few are intended to be cellared.  In addition to being a drink-me-now type of wine, there is a style of Zin to go with just about any food.

 

The morning session of the Grand Tasting was open to the Press and Trade and there was a special section where press representatives and wine critics (Press) could escape from the crowd and do some serious wine tasting by pouring their own wines from the many bottles that were arranged alphabetically on tables. Much of our time was spent down on the floors talking with winemakers and representatives of the wineries. Although we could taste only a small portion of the hundreds of available wines, we did find a few favorites, including Ridge, Mike and Molly Hendry, Highlands Winery, Biale Winery, Charter Oak Winery, Hendry (George), Ravenswood, Saddleback andTurley Wine Cellars.

 

Despite all of the wine and thousands of people, I did not encounter a single person who acted or appeared even mildly intoxicated.  People seemed to be happy, smiling and enjoying themselves.  There was also plenty of cheese, bread, fruit and other snacks to go with the wine so nobody had to drink on an empty stomach.  We were there during the press and trade session and not the public session, so it might have been different in the afternoon. 
 

If you like wine and would like to taste wine while having an educational experience that is friendly and unpretentious, you really should consider attending next year’s Zinfandel Festival. There is really nothing else quite like it. Whether it is the Flights Tasting, Epicuria food and zin pairings, Winemaker Dinner, or Grand Tasting, there is something for everybody and you are sure to have a good time.  The Concourse was easy to find and there was plenty of parking.  Glasses are provided at the tasting with enough food that you will not need a lunch.

Much thanks to Julie Ann Kodmur, ZAP’s Publicist, for inviting us to this event. Here is the ZAP web page.  Check it out.  Zinfandel Festival
 

Date of visit: 1/29/2012